Usher Charged With Stealing From Church Collection Plate

Cary, N.C. — After a tip that a 75-year-old usher was stealing church donations, Cary police performed an undercover sting in the middle of Sunday Mass.

According to investigators, James MacCaline, a lifelong member of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary and an usher for about 20 years, may have stolen money out of collection baskets for months. Jimmy Mac, as he's known by St. Michael’s parishioners, was arrested on Sunday.

Police set up 10 hidden cameras in the church and placed themselves in the congregation as the Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and last Sunday's Masses were celebrated. The officers added $20 bills to the collection, copying the serial numbers off the money beforehand. MacCaline was arrested during the New Year's Eve Mass.

“It was while the collection was going on right inside the church, as the basket was being passed and the money was palmed into his hand and then into his pocket,” Capt. Dave Wullf of the Cary Police Department said.

Monsignor Tim O'Connor, the pastor at St. Michael’s, said church members began telling him last February that they had witnessed MacCaline stealing money.

When asked why church officials took almost 11 months to contact the police, Wulff said, “It's very possible that they were waiting to have enough evidence themselves to come forward.”

Officials at St. Michael’s said it is unknown how much money might have been stolen or the motive for the alleged thefts.

“He was completely shocked,” Wulff said about MacCaline’s reaction to his arrest.

MacCaline was charged with misdemeanor larceny and is expected to be in court in about a month. He declined to talk to WRAL on Tuesday. The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh also declined to comment on the case.

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Latest Comments

A bunch of us members here are going to see the Bishop. We'll get rid of this bozo as a Pastor. All of this for $20. We love you Jimmy Mac and we will make it threw this.

ProzacDispenser
January 15, 2007 10:36 p.m.

Some are saying the family should have been called &/or contacted which is total BS! If you have a maide or gardener you suspect is stealing from you, you wouldn't call their family you'ld call the cops. Who knows how much and for how long this had been going on. Sickness or not I could never trust him again, forgiveness maybe after restitution had been served.

dirtydragons
January 15, 2007 6:03 a.m.

What I would like to know is why the Church didn't cover this up like they did the CHILD SEX ABUSE. Go after a old sick man for a few bucks, but the Church spend 1.2 million to pay off CHILD SEX ABUSE. What the HELL is wrong with this picture people. How can anyone say the church is right, they sure didn't turn their own in but instead used church money that was for church bills and the poor to pay off ABUSE claims. LETS GET REAL. And jteder01, do you stand behind the church on the CHILD SEX ABUSE??

twoncbois
January 12, 2007 12:35 p.m.

I think Monsignor Tim did the right thing. We do not really know how long this has been going on. I agree with the other comment when I say, If he was seeing his deceased father then that points to a nurological problem and I don't know about you, but I would never let someone drive on the road in that condition. I am also very disturbed at the comment that said Monsignor should be removed is absolutly Nutts!! I don't know where your from but that is just wrong. I can't belive you would say that about a church figure! Monsignor is a great man and I stand by his decision.

jteder01
January 10, 2007 8:51 p.m.

Unfortunately, the church was in a no win situation no matter what they chose to do. The man's family claims that Mr. Maccaline has the mental capacity of a 10 year old. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't let a 10 yr old drive alone from Fuquay Varina to St Michael's Church. Additionally if the other ushers were suspicious of this man AND saw mental deterioration, shouldn't they have told him that they didn't need him to be an usher any longer? Something doesn't add up!

joanncars
January 8, 2007 1:34 p.m.